Catherine Boyd - Solicitor, Private Client

Where did you go to university?

I went to St Andrews and did a MA in History. I then did the law conversion and LPC at BPP in London.

What department did you qualify into?

I qualified into the Private Client department at Forsters, just over a month ago, having done my training contract here.

Why Private Client?

Private Client is great because you can end up doing any number of things from more traditional private client work, like drafting wills and providing tax advice to work that is less common. Around about me so far I have noticed someone drafting an agreement to exhibit art works, someone else drafting the aims of a school and have also seen a lot of mental capacity work.

Although I have not had much experience yet myself, it is evident that private client work allows a solicitor to build up rapport with a client and to get an insight into their life; as you are advising the client in their private capacity and so need to understand their goals and also, often, family dynamics.

Private Client is also challenging. Some of the work is complex and takes time to get to grips with, which makes it more satisfying when you have managed it.

What is Forsters like socially?

It is a friendly firm. People almost always have time to answer a question, to give a trainee some background in relation to the task at hand and to chat about the weekend.

Forsters also organises a lot of social events both for the firm and with clients. There is a treasure hunt which involves running about Mayfair with a camera trying to find any number of things you have been asked to photograph (people juggling with fruit, celebrities), a quiz night and each year a differently themed qualifiers party (this year halloween). Forsters also organises yoga, a book club and softball. There are also frequently e-mails about other things you can get involved in like baking cakes, going to theatre or doing running challenges. Luckily it is not frowned upon at all if you do not run 10k or bake brownies.

Why did you choose Forsters?

I predominantly chose Forsters because it did the sort of work I was interested in. I always wanted to work with individuals in their private capacity and Forsters had a burgeoning Private Client department and was also well regarded for its Family and Contentious Trusts and Probate work. In addition you can do six seats in your training contract and so are exposed to a greater variety of work than you would be at many other firms.